Students, athletes, coaches, and referees are mourning the passing of three-star boxing referee-judge Cildo Evasco after a battle with colon cancer on July 2. He was 50.
Evasco had served in numerous major international boxing competitions, the latest of which were the Olympic qualifiers for Africa in Senegal in February 2020 and Europe in London in March 2021.
His first foray as an international referee was in the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore. In 2017, he refereed in Sanya, China and in the National Boxing Academy in Rohtak, India in 2018.
He was also one of the referees in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina and the Batang Pinoy competition in 2019 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.
The Benguet son also served at the Olympic qualifiers for the United States last year but the event was cancelled.
Jacel Evasco, son of the respected ring official, said his father was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in November 2020.
As a long-time teacher in Guisad Valley National High School, Evasco had inspired a generation of athletes to get into combative sports.
He had been coach and mentor of 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist wushu athlete Divine Masadao Wally, an alumna of GVNHS.
“A wonderful teacher, coach, and friend. How could I ever express all my thanks for you, sir? Thank you for providing me with such a strong foundation in my career. I learned a lot from you. Everything I have been able to achieve today, none of it would have been possible without all the experiences and support I had with you back in high school,” Wally said in her Facebook post.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Ricky Vargas remembered Evasco not only as a “committed and esteemed ring official, but also a good, honest, and courageous man.”
His remains were brought to his hometown in Caliking, Atok, Benguet. He is survived by his wife, Janeth, and son, Jacel. – Ofelia C. Empian
April 26, 2024
